Senior Programme Manager, Ukraine

About the organisation

Interpeace is an international organisation for peacebuilding that supports locally led peacebuilding initiatives around the world. Interpeace tailors its approach to each society and ensures that the work is locally driven. Together with local partners and local teams, Interpeace jointly develops peacebuilding programmes and helps establish processes of change that connect local communities, civil society, government and the international community.

As a strategic partner of the United Nations, Interpeace is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and has offices around the world.

Interpeace has incubated a multistakeholder Finance for Peace initiative that seeks systemic change in how private and public investment supports peace in developing, fragile and conflict-affected contexts. It aims to create networked approaches that can co-develop the market frameworks, standards, political support networks, partnerships and knowledge required to scale up Peace Finance – investment that intentionally seeks to improve conditions for peace. It brings together investors, industry, norm-setting entities, Development Finance Institutions (DFIs), governments, peacebuilding and development actors, civil society and local communities to further peace-positive investment.

For more information on the Finance for Peace initiative, please see our website: https://financeforpeace.org/

For more information about Interpeace, please visit www.interpeace.org

Background

In Ukraine, Interpeace collaborated with the World Health Organisation in 2020–21 to identify entry points for peace-responsive health programming in the country. Since 2022, the collaboration has shifted to designing a programme in partnership with the Ministry of Health to support health system recovery and the health strategy in a manner that enhanced community resilience.

Interpeace has also worked with the Mediation and Dialogue Research Centre to map structures for peace in the country, particularly mediation capacities. In early 2022, Interpeace collaborated with SeeD and the Mediation and Dialogue Facilitation Community of Practice to identify MHPSS-related needs in Ukraine, consulting a range of civil society networks, psychologists and volunteers to design integrated interventions.

The Finance for Peace initiative of Interpeace also includes a workstream on Ukraine, which aims to establish a Ukraine Private Peace Finance Working Group in partnership with relevant Ukrainian Government entities, international partners and the Ukrainian civil society to ideate, scope, co-create and seed alternative structures to catalyse private finance for post-conflict reconstruction and peacebuilding in Ukraine at a necessary scale and driven by the Ukrainian national and local priorities. This is the effort to consider how bankable and/or blended private investment pipelines, as well as impact-oriented innovative impact financing structures can be created to closely align to Ukrainian defined peacebuilding priorities and needs, and properly mitigate social and governance risks. Significant political and governance work needs to occur between international partners, donors, DFIs and NGOs with international finance investors alongside local and national Ukrainian actors, ensuring effective multi-level governance in support of Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction. This approach is also in line with President Zelenskyy’s call for the innovative financing solutions for the country, aligned with the Recovery and Development Plan of Ukraine within United 24 initiative, presented at the Ukraine Recovery Conference in 2022.

Position within the organisation

The Senior Programme Manager is a senior member of staff embedded into both the Finance for Peace team within the Policy, Learning and Advisory Services Unit and also supports the Programme Management Unit at Interpeace. The Senior Programme Manager further liaises with colleagues in the Strategic Partnerships, Programme Development and Innovation unit. The Senior Programme Manager for Ukraine reports to the Head of Research and Senior Peacebuilding Advisor, working in collaboration with both teams and ensuring coherence of efforts.

Purpose and general overview

The Senior Programme Manager role has two sets of work areas:

1. Work Area 1: Stakeholder engagement for programme management and resource mobilisation for community resilience and social cohesion initiatives related to the work of Interpeace and Finance for Peace in Ukraine (40%)
2. Work Area 2: Oversee, advise and implement, with relevant consultants and partners, thematic research on Ukraine Peace Finance (60%)

The Senior Programme Manager is responsible for the implementation of ongoing activities related to thematic research on Ukraine Peace Finance, including relevant budget and consultant onboarding, supervision and management. The role is also responsible for stakeholder engagement (including with private sector), programme development and donor engagement around new programme ideas. This includes developing the portfolio of a country programme based on ongoing efforts and networks, and playing a critical role in fundraising in collaboration with Finance for Peace, programme management and programme development colleagues.

The Senior Programme Manager will build, strengthen and maintain Interpeace’s institutional relationships in Ukraine, including with the private sector actors, government institutions, donors, CSOs and community leaders and members.

The Senior Programme Manager would report directly to the Head of Research and Senior Peacebuilding Advisor and also have cross functional work relationship with the Senior Director of Programmes for work area 1.

The Senior Programme Manager represents Interpeace in Ukraine. The Senior Programme Manager may be called upon to represent Interpeace at senior leadership levels with national and local authorities and partners as required and is expected to make strategic decisions and to work both independently when necessary but also promote strong collaboration and synergy between units.

S/he is responsible in managing and supporting the programmatic activities implemented at the regional and national levels within pre-agreed programme budgets or funding allocations. Public engagement at key policy fora at the national and international levels is also required.

Duties and responsibilities

Strategic Engagement:

• Build, maintain and strengthen relationships with partners, including private sector actors, donors, CSO directors, senior staff of relevant governmental institutions and local government actors for the purposes of resource mobilization and programme development.
• Design, develop, implement, monitor and evolve activities in the country, in line with Interpeace overall strategy. This includes developing and designing new ideas, building new strategic partnerships exploring work in new thematic and geographical areas, etc.
• Closely monitor political, security, economic and social dynamics likely to have an impact on peace and share them through regular exchanges with the F4P and PMU teams.
• Maintain close working relationships with the Finance for Peace, Programme Management, Strategic Partnerships and Programme Development.

Programme Management and Development

• Responsible for the day-to-day management of activities related to Ukraine Peace Finance workstream.
• Responsible for maintaining relations with F4P partners and stakeholders to ensure that the collaboration and learning is mutually beneficial.
• Responsible for oversight over daily activities and outputs and ensuring that they completed and submitted on schedule and to the standards required.
• Contribute to the production of donor reports for F4P, both narrative and financial.
• Leads the identification and development of opportunities to expand the programme within the country, in collaboration with PMU, Programme Development and Finance for Peace.

Representation

• Represent Interpeace in donor meetings, roundtables and policy and other national and international fora and coordination platforms with humanitarian, development and peacebuilding organisations as well as private sector actors.

Management of personnel and resources

• Supervise consultants and staff as required
• Manage budgets related to ongoing F4P or programme development activities.

Qualifications:

Candidates with relevant qualifications, experience, a tertiary degree, and fluent in English and Ukrainian, are invited to apply.

Relevant experience and qualifications include:

Education

• Advanced degree in international studies, development economics, finance, social or political science, or other relevant fields.

Experience

• Experience in peacebuilding, political and/or development work with increasing management responsibility.
• At least five years of experience working in at least one, or some combination of, private finance, a Development Finance Institution, peacebuilding, development, or government donor environment.
• Experience in Ukraine. Broader regional expertise is an advantage.
• Demonstrated experience in conflict resolution/peacebuilding, advocacy, partnership management, programme development.
• Familiarity with technical and political issues associated with sustainable finance, SDG, ESG investing, impact investing, blended finance, peacebuilding, donor policies in development and peacebuilding.

Competencies

• Developed ability of raising the profile of an organization, strategically networking with a variety of actors, including private sector, government agencies, donors and other international agencies.
• Proven ability to communicate, negotiate and work with high level executives and government officials.
• Ability to work in a multicultural environment successfully and to demonstrate gender responsive and non-discriminatory behaviour and attitudes.
• Excellent ability to interact with people respectfully and with tact.
• Strong writing and communications skills in English and Ukrainian.

Interpeace Competencies

• Collaboration and Weaving
• Communication
• Drive for results
• Adaptability and Continuous Learning
• Respect for Diversity

Success factors

• Strong general understanding of peacebuilding and/or development and finance.
• Ability to quickly learn and contribute to the ideation of new concepts.
• Creative team player with a commitment to inclusiveness and consensus building.
• Political tact and a high adaptation capacity.
• Entrepreneurial and adaptive mindset, ability to quickly adapt and contribute to a growing, fast paced Initiative.
• Commitment to the values of Interpeace, and the mission of the F4P initiative.
• Outstanding communication skills to a variety of stakeholders from very different backgrounds.

Interpeace values diversity among its staff and aims to achieve gender equality both through gender parity at all levels of the organisation and the promotion of a gender dimension in all its work. We welcome applications from all genders, and those with disabilities.

How to apply

Qualified candidates are invited to submit their application no later than the 15 September 2023 via the following link: Senior Programme Manager, Ukraine